Notification devices (for example acoustic alarm devices and/or optical alarm devices) are generally placed in buildings, for the purpose of emitting an auditory, visual, and/or text alarm signal when a potential danger is discovered, e.g. when a fire or emergency occurs. These devices are designed to attract the attention of people at the scene and encourage these people to evacuate or take other necessary action.
A typical optical alarm device used for warning of fire comprises a light-emitting component used as a warning, such as a xenon lamp or a light-emitting diode (LED), and a drive circuit capable of lighting the light-emitting component once power is supplied. The optical alarm device is connected to a central control device, e.g., via a field wire or field bus. Upon determining an alarm is to be issued, the central control device instructs the drive circuit via the field wire to begin operating, so as to light the light-emitting component, e.g., emit an optical alarm signal.